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WHEN THE RIGHT THING TO DO ISN’T THE RIGHT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY THING TO DO
AUG 19, 2010
 Posted by Rob Asghar
All posts by Rob Asghar


United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently pledged that the U.S. would provide long-term support to Pakistanis affected by historic, devastating floods. Soon after, the United Nations called a special meeting to address how to escalate relief efforts. All the while, experts in the West ponder the public diplomacy ramifications as the Pakistani government and Western relief agencies jealously race against Islamic extremists for the privilege of being the primary source of support for victims. My own view, in a nutshell, is that this is not a public diplomacy issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. We in the West should…... Full Text
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REFRAMING THE DINNER CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE WEST AND PAKISTAN
FEB 22, 2010
 Posted by Rob Asghar
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If Pakistan were a person, who would it be? Would it be Odysseus, undergoing a series of grueling tests in order to claim its true heroic identity? Would it be a hapless Sancho Panza, looking on with alarm as it’s dragged into ruin by the misadventures of those around it? As a Pakistani-American, I hope Pakistan someday turns out to be Odysseus. But for my money, Pakistan could best be characterized in 2010 as Uncle Leo of “Seinfeld” fame. Can you recall the “Shower Head” episode in which Jerry, on The Tonight Show, pokes fun of Uncle Leo’s paranoid tendency…... Full Text
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THAT’S NOT A RED CARPET IN PAKISTAN - THAT’S A BLOOD-STAIN
OCT 30, 2009
 Posted by Rob Asghar
All posts by Rob Asghar


Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is spending a few days in Pakistan, ostensibly to build up trust. It should be of great concern to the Obama administration, however, that one prominent Pakistani greeted her with a Daily Beast column headlined, “Hillary, Go Home.” That column was penned by Fatima Bhutto, the young and progressive journalist and poet who just happens to be the niece of the late Benazir Bhutto. Fatima’s concerns include this: Clinton, who has fondly reminisced about her decades-long friendship with President Zardari, dating back to the time when they were both first spouses, promised when she landed…... Full Text
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SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO: MAKING SENSE OF AN AMERICAN “INVASION”
OCT 7, 2009
 Posted by Rob Asghar
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Alex Rodriguez recently wrote an excellent page-one piece in the Los Angeles Times, examining broad distrust among Pakistanis regarding the United States’ plans to expand its well-fortified embassy in Islamabad. The Obama Administration coolly states that such an expansion—involving the acquisition of 18 acres nearby and a sharp increase in long-term embassy staffing—is necessary to administer a tripling of nonmilitary aid to Pakistan, to the tune of $1.5 billion annually. Those on the Pakistani street and in the halls of power aren’t buying it. "That just doesn't sound plausible," former army chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg told the Times. "People…... Full Text
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PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC DRAMA IN PAKISTAN
AUG 27, 2009
 Posted by Rob Asghar
All posts by Rob Asghar


How do you perform public diplomacy effectively in the Age of Drama Queens? It’s a special challenge if you’re Judith McHale, the State Department’s new Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, with a special charge to rebuild America’s image in the Muslim world, especially in places such as Pakistan. I sat in on a meeting in early August in which a successful Pakistani businessman assured Undersecretary McHale, who was about to make her first visit to Pakistan, that she would find the majority of Pakistan’s population to be moderate and friendly, despite what all the polling data says. McHale went on to…... Full Text
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